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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stock — goods
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stock — shares
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. hand — help
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com